Hello and welcome to podcast number 11. I hope you all had a really good Halloween.
I must admit ours was very much relaxed. We don't really celebrate Halloween if I'm totally
honest. The kids, they're a little bit old now. Halloween is not really something, they're
not trick or treaters or anything like that. How are you all? How's everyone doing? I hope
I'm finding you all well. I'm going to start today by saying something I say quite regularly
on these podcasts and that is thank you to you all. Because again, I mean I'm just seeing
my numbers going up and I'm really hoping that the sort of things I'm talking about
is resonating with one or two, maybe more of you and maybe it's helping. I don't know.
I'd like to think it is because that's what I'm doing this for. I'm actually not the
sort of person that would normally do this sort of thing. But since my diagnosis I just
want to help people. I want to get the word out there. I want people to hear my story
because maybe, just maybe that might help other people out there. But yeah genuinely
thank you all so much for listening. It's massively appreciated and honestly it is making
me very very proud. So thank you, all of you. I really do appreciate it.
So today, something I want to talk about is I had a letter from my neurologist the other
day and he's finally given me results from my MRI scan I had a few weeks ago. In a way
it's kind of good news. I'll be honest it's kind of good news. What he's saying is there
is no new lesions which is great. Absolutely fantastic. But the one thing that's not quite
so good is one of the lesions I've got on my spine has shown it's a lot more pronounced.
He's told me that he thinks that's probably the reason that I've been struggling a lot
more recently. You know the way things have been and I will very very shortly I'll discuss
a little bit of what I'm going through currently because it's not been all sweetness and light.
I'll be fair it's not all sweetness and light. You know I've mentioned it previously about
these sort of pains and whatever I've been getting. But I'll explain a bit more very
shortly. But I'm still currently waiting on a date for my lumbar puncture which as I've
said previously that is something that the MS MDT have said that I'm going to need before
I can consider the treatment that has been suggested by both my neurologist and my MS
nurse. It would be nice if that could speed up a little bit but you know it is what it
is. There's other people out there that need these services and I've got to wait my turn
which I'm quite prepared to do. It would be nice if that turn was to creep along a little
bit quicker. Maybe that way I can start seeing a bit of calm down time on the way things
are currently. But you know one of those things we carry on. What they have said before the
lumbar puncture they are going to be getting me in for my blood and my chest x-ray to see
whereabouts I am. Because as I've said previously they have told me what treatment really they're
thinking I need and currently there is only one treatment that I'm thinking is necessary.
I'm currently not going to name that treatment. I'm not going to name it because at the end
of the day until all this is confirmed and I've got a date and everything else things
can change. So it would probably be wrong of me currently to name that treatment. But
any of you out there that are going through this you've probably got a pretty good idea
what I'm alluding to. But again all I can do is sit back and wait. They're saying around
a 10 week wait for the lumbar puncture. So probably going to be looking into New Year
now by the time everything is said and done and I'm aware of what they can do to try and
help. So you know waiting game. I've had a waiting game since the end of February this
year. This year sorry end of February this year. We're pushing towards the end of the
year now. But yeah it would just be nice to see an end to the waiting. But currently in
my current situation I am noticing as I said previously a lot more pains, new pains in
areas that have previously been an issue. So these pains are actually really quite bad.
I'll be totally fair they're really quite bad and at times they're making me struggle.
Bless her this morning. Lisa noticed I was still asleep. She noticed that I was wintcing
while I was asleep. I was in quite a bit of pain and actually I did wake up for want of
a better term very sore. That doesn't quite do it justice. I will be fair to you it doesn't
do it justice at all but it wasn't nice. But these aren't, they're not pains in new areas.
These are pains in areas that I've had for a long time now and they're just getting worse.
Which I'm sure we've all dealt with but it's something currently that's quite new to me
and I have to be honest with you I'm struggling with it. I'd be lying to you if I said I
wasn't but yeah I am struggling with it. I have as I said previously I've upped me my
pain killing medication. I now take two tablets in the morning and three of a night. To be
fair I probably could do with upping that again but I'm desperately trying not to. I'm
trying to just fight through and see where we can get to without trying to rely on painkillers.
Again coming into the memory aspect. I know a lot of people have issues with memory but
I'm noticing it an awful lot at the minute and I'll be totally honest with you. I'd
forget my head right now if it wasn't screwed on. I really really would because literally
I can put something on the table, I can turn round and literally within a few seconds I
genuinely can't remember what I was doing. And it's not all the time, it's not something
that's happening regularly but it's happening enough for it to be a real frustration. I'm
getting a little bit weirded out by it because I'm just not understanding why it's happening.
As I say I know I've got lesions on the brain, I don't know how many they haven't told me
but it's becoming really quite odd. That's one thing for getting a conversation out in
two or three days ago. Yeah I get that, that's fine. Everyone can have that kind of issue
sometimes but forgetting things that went on literally a few seconds ago and again it's
not all the time, it's not all the time but it's happening enough for it to be really
annoying. But you know again it's one of those where I'm accepting it, I don't like it, I'm
accepting it and I'm fighting through it and I will continue to do so because quite honestly
I've said it once, I've said it twice, I'll say it again. I've got MS, it has not got
me. And yeah I know it's easy to say that but quite honestly I have no intention of
giving in to this thing. It wants a fight, it's got to fight. I'm a fighter, I will always
be a fighter. This thing's got battle on its hands, it really has and I am not giving in.
Hard hard fact that I am not giving in. But on a lighter note because I don't want to
be all negative and pessimistic and all the rest of it all the time. I know I've mentioned
again previously that I was looking at starting playing guitar again, it's been many years
but I actually went to the guitar shop yesterday in our town and I've actually found a nice
new toy that I quite fancy, not expensive at all. I don't see the point in spending
a massive amount of money, not worth it. I've found this really nice new toy. And let's
get Christmas and New Year out of the way because I think Christmas and New Year is
probably a little bit more important than me having a new toy at this stage. But we'll
get Christmas and New Year out of the way and I'll be nipping into the guitar shop
and I will be treating myself. Don't you worry, I won't be playing guitar on any of these
podcasts. I do not want to subject any of you to that. What I will say right now is
Lisa, kids, I am really sorry for when it happens. I will try my best not to be too
loud but I can't make any promises. I literally can't make any promises. Once the groove gets
me I might accidentally crank the volume up. It's got to happen. It's got to happen.
I'll try and make it happen when no one else is in the house. Keyword there try. No promises.
Absolutely no promises to be made. But yeah, I mean that was quite good. I quite enjoyed
it except on the way home. I was on my scooter on Eleanor and it started absolutely hammering
down. So I put my waterproof poncho on and because it was raining so heavy and the wind
was quite bad the poncho was actually blowing up into my face. I physically couldn't see
where I was going. I actually had to take the poncho off. I was soaked by the time I
got home. Literally I was dripping. Yeah naturally I was a little bit frustrated. I'd be lying
if I said I wasn't. Because my jeans were soaked through. Even down to my socks and
my underwear. I know it's an over share but it is what it is. I was soaked all the way
through. But it was funny. That was on me. I decided to go out to the guitar shop. Glorious
sunshine at the time. I stopped in at work and had a chat with my mates at work. But
yeah I probably stayed out a little bit too long and the rain decided. The shower riding
in the morning wasn't enough. I needed a second shower. Don't know why. But I had got one
and yeah I had to get changed. But it was worth it because it was a good little jump
out. Now something I really want to talk about now is the future of this podcast. Because
I've sort of got myself onto a couple of Facebook groups for podcast hosts. And again I don't
really see myself as a podcast host because this podcast is only very small. And really
it's just for me to get thoughts out there and try and help other people that have got
this condition or another condition. Or just people that want to listen to someone talking
rubbish about what they've got going on in life. But I want this podcast to go forward.
I intend to push on with it. I am completely, I'm 100% committed to making this podcast
very very long term. It's not something that's going to go away. I'm not going to go away
with it. I am going to push this on. So at some point in the near future I'm going to
start looking at things like editing software. Because I want to start editing these podcasts.
I want to make your listening experience a lot better. I want to make it so that when
you're listening in you're thinking wow actually he's taking a lot of time over this. He wants
to make things better for us listening in. Because I do. I want this to be something
you're all going to enjoy listening to. Because I enjoy talking to it. I enjoy talking to
you all. I enjoy getting my thoughts out there. And not every day, not every podcast going
forward is going to be solely about MS. It's not all going to be doom and gloom. These
podcasts I want to make them so that you're going to enjoy listening. Because I am, as
I say, I'm 100% committed to it. And today I've done something a bit different. Normally
when I do these podcasts I'll just sit down and I'll talk. I'll just talk about what's
on my mind. And yeah I enjoyed that. But I've taken some advice from these other podcast
hosts on this site I'm on. I've actually kind of scripted today's episode a little
bit. And yeah I've gone off script a little bit from time to time. But actually predominantly
I've scripted everything. And I'm hoping, I'm actually hoping that makes your listening
experience a bit better. Because I'm not just rambling on to nothing. I'm not just talking
and saying whatever's popping in my brain at that second. What I'm actually doing is
I'm kind of reading from a script but at the same time also adding little bits in. So actually
I really do hope that today has come across a little bit different. It may or may not
have done. If you're on any of my social medias please feel free to give me some constructive
criticism because again I'm doing this not just for me, I'm doing this for you all as
well. So give me a shout. As I say I'm on TikTok. I'm on Instagram. Mike's underscore
ms underscore journey for both of those handles. Come across, come talk to me, come and have
a conversation and say I'm quite an open book. As long as you're speaking to me with respect
believe me you will get exactly the same in return. And if I'm in any position to have
a long conversation with you I will. As long as the conversation is respectful. Again I
have no issue with someone coming up and giving me a bit of constructive criticism because
again I'm here for you all as well as me. So that will do for today. Again I want to
thank you all for listening because genuinely it's you that makes this show. It really is
and I'm hoping I can do you all proud. Well have a great day and I look forward to speaking
to you all again soon. You have a good one. Cheers. Bye bye.